In order to put into practice the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle in line with Directive 05-CT/TW by the 12th Politburo (hereinafter Directive 05), the Border Guard of Lang Son province has adopted various models. Chief among these is the model entitled “Public works, border guard posts - to- communes intimate relations”.

Cadres of the provincial border guard command present overcoats to locals

So far, the provincial Border Guard Command has seen self-motivation as a matter of routine among each of their individuals and collectives as to the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle. This has led to the emergence of innovative models that square with the Border Guard Force’s functions and duties as well as locals’ realistic demands. Such exemplary models as “All-people Border Defense Festive Day”, “Public works, border guard posts - to- communes intimate relations”, etc. have contributed to enabling border guards’ characteristics to shine brightly in the eyes of local ethnics.

It is the Department of Politics that has counselled the provincial Border Guard Command’s Party Committee to implement the model “Public works, border guard posts - to- communes intimate relations”, which testifies to the real-world application of Directive 05 to mass mobilization. This model aims to contribute to increasing public intellectual standards, improving people’s living standards, building new-style rural areas, fostering military-to-civilian blood relations, firmly protecting sovereignty and border security and ensuring political security, social order and safety  in border areas. Accordingly, based on localities’ specific circumstances, resolutions by the provincial Border Guard Command’s Party Committee and their functions and tasks, border guard posts have directly counselled local administrations to implement programmes and plans for socio-economic and cultural development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction associated with enhanced defense and security capabilities. Much importance has been attached to effectively implementing projects and programmes such as Project 661 (the afforestation project funded by the provincial Border Guard Command), programmes entitled “Homes for the poor in border areas”,  “Assisting locals with socio-economic development”, “Supporting children’s schooling”, “Overcoats in border areas’ winter”, etc. These have been evidenced by the availability of construction works, rural roads, clean water supply systems, irrigation systems, electric power transmission lines, education and health establishments, household toilets, technical assistance for peasants’ husbandry, the elimination of social evils and depraved customs as well as books and newspapers in libraries, thereby contributing to improving local ethnics’ cultural life.

When it comes to Project 661, in order to make a success of it, the provincial Border Guard Command’s Party Committee has actively directed Steering Board 327 and border guard posts (Na Hinh, Bac Xa, Chi Ma, Thanh Loa, Ba Son) to identify seedling supplies and areas of land for afforestation, to cooperate with local administrations and socio-political organizations in patiently persuading and encouraging local ethnics to participate in afforestation projects. At the same time, border guard posts have also provided allowances for local households directly involved in afforestation projects. Despite difficulties facing Project 611 at first, it has produced nearly 4,000 hectare of pine forests, which forms a 100-km green belt along the border from the West to the East. This has contributed to affirming the country’s territorial sovereignty while creating jobs for and improving the living standards of ethnic minorities in border areas. Project 611 has benefitted a lot of households as the pine resin extraction has enabled them to escape poverty and become rich, particularly those in communes of Bac Xa and Binh Xa (Dinh Lap district); Tam Gia, Tu Mich and Yen Khoai (Loc Binh district); Xuat Le and Thanh Loa (Cao Loc district); Thuy Hung, Trung Khanh and Thanh Long (Van Lang district). Project 611’s success has contributed to polishing the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and further promoting solidarity between the military and the people.

As regards the programme entitled “Homes for the poor in border areas”, to make a success of it, border guard posts have sent their cadres and soldiers to join local ethnic minorities in construction works. Over the past years, the provincial Border Guard  Command have helped to build 129 “Great Unity” houses and “Gratitude” houses reserved for poor households and revolutionary contributors in border areas. In 2017 alone, 5 “Gratitude” houses were handed over to 5 poor households who had made great contributions to the border management and protection in communes of Quoc Khanh, Doi Can, Tan Minh and Dao Vien (Trang Dinh district). Those “Great Unity” houses and “Gratitude” houses as “dream rewards” have helped local ethnic minorities to stabilize their life and to ease their current difficulties.

At the same time, the provincial Border Guard Command closely cooperated with the People’s Committee of Trang Dinh district in devising plans for Doi Can commune’s socio-economic development. Focus was put on persuading, encouraging and helping local ethnics in planting Asian grass jell trees (scientific name: Mesona chinensis Benth) which are of high economic value; on building 3 clean water supply systems, 4 km of inter-hamlet concrete roads, 2 communal houses, 4 classrooms and 48 household toilets; on improving the performance of 4 Party cells, 2 self-managing security teams and 1 militia platoon. Based on lessons drawn from Doi Can commune, the provincial Border Guard Command directed each of the border guard posts to help a border hamlet with socio-economic development. For example, the border guard post at the Chi Ma Border Gate built a clean water supply system, 42 household toilets and 3 communal houses in Lap Pia hamlet (Mau Son commune, Loc Binh  district); the Ba Son border guard post built a communal house in Khuoi Tat hamlet (Xuat Le commune, Cao Loc district); the border guard post at the Friendship International Border Gate built electric power transmission lines and clean water supply systems in Keo Kham hamlet and Giay Thep Zone respectively (Cao Loc district); the Thanh Loa border guard post built concrete roads in Na Lang hamlet (Thanh Loa commune, Cao Loc district), etc.

Implementing the programme entitled “Breeding cows for the poor in border areas”, the provincial Border Guard Command cooperated with the Viettel branch in Lang Son province, local administrations and local veterinary clinics in presenting 1,298 breeding cows to 1,298 poor households in border areas and providing them with instructions on cattle rearing. Local ethnics have carefully raised those breeding cows, 293 of which produced calves by March, 2018. In line with the military-civilian joint healthcare program, the provincial Border Guard Command has closely collaborated with the provincial Department of Health in widely popularizing the national target program on public healthcare, disease prevention and control, immunization, free-of-charge medical examination and treatment. In 2007, the provincial Border Guard Command mobilized 156 doctors, pharmacists and healthcare workers in public healthcare, avian influenza A (H7N9) prevention and control, immunization, free-of-charge medical examination and treatment and medicine dispensing for over 10,000 local ethnics, which cost over VND 165 million. Regarding the programme entitled “Supporting children’s schooling”, the provincial Border Guard Command has provided VND 500,000 –monthly allowances per capita for 54 students in between the 1^st and the 12^th grade, who are from ethnic minorities, impoverished, parentless, motherless or fatherless families. So far, the majority of them have stayed healthy and achieved good academic results, particularly Hoang Bich Trang (in Tan My commune, Van Lang district) who got 28.5 points on her graduation exam and was admitted to School T78 under the Ministry of Public Security.

In order to help residents in border areas, particularly children, to deal with frosty winter weather, in late 2017 and early 2018, the provincial Border Guard Command directed the Youth Union and Women’s Association to launch the programme entitled “Overcoats in border areas’ winter”. To make a success of the programme, agencies and units under the provincial Border Guard Command have closely cooperated with local administrations in identifying those in need and encouraged cadres and soldiers to get involved. Cadres and soldiers under the provincial Border Guard Command donated VND 175m’s worth of 697 gifts, including blankets, overcoats, gloves, shoes, socks, etc. The retirees of the provincial Border Guard Command residing in the capital city of Hanoi donated VND 50m’s worth of 200 blankets to help impoverished families in border areas to survive severe winter months. In 2018, within the framework of the model entitled “Public works, border guard posts - to- communes intimate relations”, the provincial Border Guard Command directed its affiliates to build 21 public works in hamlets with difficult socio-economic conditions in border communes and towns. Those are of real significance in celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the “All-people Border Defense Day” (03-03-1989 / 03-03-2019) and the 60^th anniversary of the establishment of the Border Guard Force (03-03-1959 / 03-03-2019).

The success of the model “Public works, border guard posts - to- communes intimate relations” has contributed to further promoting solidarity between the military and the people in general, between border guard posts and border communes and towns in particular; to putting into practice Directive 05 and the campaign “Promoting traditions and devoting talent to deserve to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers”; and to consolidating the all-people border defense. It has also contributed to making the provincial Border Guard Force strong politically, ideologically, organizationally and morally, deserving to play a core role in firmly protecting territorial sovereignty and border security in the new situation.

Col. Trinh Huu Tang, Political Commissar of Lang Son Province’s Border Guard Command